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Gardy goes small to try to get CC off his game

Gardy goes small to try to get CC off his game

MINNEAPOLIS -- Twins manager Ron Gardenhire went with his small-ball lineup against the Yankees on Wednesday in an effort to throw CC Sabathia off his game.

Gardenhire started Alexi Casilla at second base, with Jamey Carroll getting the start at third base in place of Trevor Plouffe.

"Alexi Casilla is 10-for-18 [against Sabathia] and Jamey Carroll is swinging really good," Gardenhire said before the game. "So I just put Jamey over there. Plouffe has had some struggles lately, missing some balls and popping them up. He played both games in the doubleheader [Sunday] without any breaks [since], so he looked pretty worn out last night."

Sabathia has plenty of experience pitching against the Twins dating back to his time with the Indians. The lefty came in with a career 3.00 ERA in 31 starts against Minnesota, but he's been known to get flustered when the Twins bunt on him.

"Hopefully it's a chance to irritate Sabathia a little bit with little guys," Gardenhire said. "Maybe some bunts to move him off the mound and straighten his hat out. I can say that because I know the guy really well."